Sphera Franchise Group, the largest food service group in Romania, inaugurates its second Cioccolatitaliani unit, this time in Genoa, within the Shopping District Waterfront Genova shopping center. The opening confirms Sphera Group commitment to the expansion plan on the Italian market and strengthens the brand’s presence in northern Italy. The investment in the new unit amounts to approximately 550,000 euro.
“The second Cioccolatitaliani opening, less than a year after the inauguration of the Riccione unit, marks a new step in our development on the Italian market. We are still in the learning and refining stage of the operational model, but the first results show a promising direction with strong potential. Northern Italy represents a strategic area for us, and Genoa is a natural choice in this consolidation process,” said Călin Ionescu, CEO, Sphera Franchise Group.
The new unit is situated within the Waterfront Genova Shopping District, a newly built shopping center around a covered sports arena, in the Genova Fiera tourist port. The unit benefits from an area of approximately 200 square meters, with its own serving area with a capacity of 40 seats and will be operated by a team of 15 employees. The menu follows the classic Cioccolatitaliani pattern, with artisanal gelato, premium pastries, and coffee, under the imprint of Fino de Aroma cocoa chocolate.
Sphera acquired the Cioccolatitaliani franchise rights from the Italian group Gioia in the fall of 2024 and is pursuing an investment plan to open 20 units over five years, including expansion into the Romanian market. One year after the first unit opened, the brand contributed 0.8 million lei to the Group’s sales in 2025, generating 250,000 lei in the last quarter of the year, in line with expected results for a location with a pronounced seasonal profile, such as Riccione. The unit in Genoa, with a footprint double that of the one in Riccione and positioned in a shopping center active all year round, creates the premises for diversifying this profile and supporting the assumed growth rate.
“Genoa represents a new opportunity to deepen Cioccolatitaliani specific operational know-how. Although we have a mature presence in Italy through KFC, this brand has different particularities, and each unit opened offers us valuable insights into consumer behavior and market dynamics. The unit in Waterfront Genoa offers a different context than Riccione, which allows us to test and adjust operations according to a different consumer profile. We are aware that we are still in the construction phase, but this stage is precisely what prepares us for the pace of development we have set ourselves to,” said Dan Ilie, General Manager, Cioccolatitaliani Italia.
Founded in 2009 by the Ferrieri family, with over 40 years of experience in the pastry industry, the Cioccolatitaliani brand has distinguished itself through its commitment to premium ingredients, especially Fino de Aroma cocoa, one of the rarest varieties worldwide. The network currently includes over 40 units, with a presence in Italy, the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa. Gioia Group, the umbrella company that manages Cioccolatitaliani alongside the Bun Burgers brand, operates over 60 units globally.